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Chapter Two
This chapter flows on from the story about the Centurion

In June 1942, the write successfully passed his examination for Leading Cook. He then volunteered for service in submarines and was posted to the submarine depot at Port Said in Egypt for training and classed as Spare Crew cook. At the beginning of January 1943 he was transferred to H.M.S.Medway11, a ‘shore’ establishment in the old French barracks in Beirut. The original H.M.S. Medway, a submarine depot ship had been sunk by a German submarine when she was leaving Alexandria at the time the German army reached El Alamien.

On 13th January 1943, transferred to Yugo Slavsubmarine Nebojsa, which had been built at Hawthorn Leslie shipyard, on the Tyne at Hebburn, in 1926. She was manned by a mixed Royal Navy and Yugo Slav crew. It had been hoped to make her operational but the boat was unpredictable that when she dived she would go down steeply by either the bows or stern. She was more dangerous to her crew than she would ever be to the enemy. While in Beirut we enjoyed winter leave at Alley, a small town in the hills on the road to Damascus. Very good skiing.

On 21st July, transferred to H.M.S/M Osiris, a much bigger, more modern operational boat, with a crew of about 56 in total. One patrol in the Aegean Sea (Greece) was carried out. An injury was sustained to the fingers of the right hand when a four inch shell, which should have been slung over the side on the order to dive, was given on the approach of enemy aircraft. Fortunately for the boat the shell hit the fingers and not the rim of the hatch. After a double dose of morphine, supposed to put me to sleep, I watched the skipper stitched the finger. No more bread baking on that trip.

After this patrol, no targets, Osiris teamed up with another boat, H.M.S/M. Parthian, to work train commandoes in preparation for the invasion of Sicily. In the event it was decided that only Parthian was required. She unfortunately struck a mine near Sicily and was lost with all hands. Osiris was detailed to go to Mombasa in East Africa as a training boat. The chef on the Parthian offered to change places with me as he did not want to go to the UK as his wife had left him and the boat was scheduled to carry on to the UK directly after Sicily, I didn’t like the feel of the boat and turned down his offer.

On reaching Mombasa sat exams successfully for Petty Officer and managed to stay on submarines. The Skipper Lt. Arthur Chandler had asked me to join him in a new boat he was flying home to pick up. It meant applying for overseas service on returning to the UK which was done. On 26th September 1943, left Mombasa on troopship S.S.Rampura. Eventually arriving at H.M.S. Dolphin, on 26th November, via Swansea.

Home leave on 30th November, married on 16th December, reported to ‘Dolphin’ on 7th January 1944. On the 8th January left to join H.M.S/M. Stygian, currently being completed at Cammel Lairds Shipyard at Birkenhead. On arrival, met up again with the skipper, sent ashore to find accommodation, returned to Stanley and returned with one wife. Orders are Orders which was duly carried out with the greatest of pleasure.

On 27th February, 1944 the boat was ready for sea and sailed for the Holy Loch, offshore of Sandbank, Dunoon. Acquired accommodation at Sandbank. The next three months was spent on exercises to get the crew and boat operational.

On the 15th April, during a night exercise on a dirty squally night of Larne, Northern Ireland, the boat’s bows dipped when struck by a large wave, and she began to dive. In the conning tower, the skipper realised what was happening and he sent the two lookouts safely down. Before he could get the top hatch closed it was sucked shut on his hands by the suction from the diesel engines. The engines were shut down and the bottom hatch in to the control room closed with the skipper trapped between the two hatches. It only took a few minuets to get the boat to the surface and apart from broken fingers the skipper was saved. As a result, he had to leave the boat and he was replaced by Lt.Guy Clarabut R.N. The boat had not been damaged and the working-up period, which included two weeks at Campbeltown, was satisfactorily completed. It was now time for a shakedown patrol. This was carried out in conjunction with the invasion of Europe. The patrol area was to the North of Norway, off Spitzbergen on the edge of the icecap, to keep an eye on the German warships and ‘U’ boats. The patrol was uneventful and allowed the crew to experience patrol conditions and routines. She returned to the Holy Loch on 19th June. Cleaned throughout and store, fuel, water and ammunition taken on board, ready for departure to the Far East theatre of war.

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